Swains Lock (Lock21) and lock house are part of the 184.5-mile (296.9 km) Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (a.k.a. C&O Canal) that operated in the United States along the Potomac River from the 1830s through 1923. It is located at towpath mile-marker 16.7 near Potomac, Maryland, and within the Travilah census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland. The lock and lock house were built in the early 1830s and began operating shortly thereafter.
Swains Lock is named after Jesse Swain and his family. Jesse Swain was lock keeper for Lock21 beginning in 1907, and had been a canal boatman. His father had helped with the canal construction, and his grandson has lived in the house and operated an onsite concession stand into the 21st century. Some of the Swains from Jesse's generation were born on canal boats, and more recent Swains were born in the lock house. Family members lived in the house until 2006, when the house was turned over to the National Park Service.
Today, the lock and restored lock house are part of Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. Picnic tables at the lock site are located between the Potomac River and the lock house. The lock house is one of seven lock houses on the canal that can be used for overnight stays. It is only a few miles upriver from the Potomac River's Great Falls, and is a few miles downriver from a bird sanctuary.
Background
Ground was broken for construction of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (a.k.a. C&O Canal) on July 4, 1828. One of the early plans was for the canal to be a way to connect the Chesapeake Bay with the Ohio River—hence the name Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. The canal has several types of locks, including 74 lift locks necessary to handle a 610-foot (186 m) difference in elevation between the two canal ends—an average of about 8feet (2.4m) per lock. Including walls, lift locks are long and wide—usable lockage was closer to long and wide. Some canal boats could carry over 110tons (99.79 metric tons) of coal.
Portions of the canal (close to Georgetown) began operating in the 1830s, and construction ended in 1850 without reaching the Ohio River. Upon completion, the canal ran from Georgetown to Cumberland, Maryland. The canal was necessary since portions of the Potomac River, especially at Great Falls, could not serve for reliable navigation because the river can be shallow and rocky as well as subject to low water and floods. The canal opened the region to important markets and lowered shipping costs. By 1859, about 83 canal boats per week were transporting coal, grain, flour, and farm products to Washington and Georgetown. Tonnage peaked in 1871 as coal trade increased.
The canal faced competition from other modes of transportation, especially the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O Railroad). Starting in Baltimore and adding line westward, the B&O Railroad eventually reached the Ohio River and beyond, while the C&O Canal never went beyond Cumberland in Western Maryland. An economic depression during the mid-1870s, and major floods in 1877 and 1886, put a financial strain on the C&O Canal Company. In 1889, another flood severely damaged the C&O Canal and caused the company to enter bankruptcy. Operations stopped for about two years. Court-appointed trustees recommended by the B&O Railroad took over receivership of the canal and began operating it under court supervision, but canal use never recovered to the peak years of the 1870s. The C&O Canal closed for the season in November 1923. Severe flooding in 1924 prevented the canal from opening in the spring, and the resulting damage from the floods prevented it from opening during the entire year. The flood damage, combined with continued competition from railroads and trucks, caused the shutdown to be permanent. In 1938, the canal was sold to the United States government, and the canal was proclaimed a national monument in 1961.
History
Work on Lock21 began in July 1829 and was completed in October 1830 at a cost of $8,327.76 (). The lock was made from Seneca Creek Red Sandstone boated down the Potomac River from the Seneca Quarry. Construction of the lock house began in May1831, and was finished in August1832 at a cost of $765.00 (). On August7, 1830, an individual listed only as "Fuller" was recommended and approved as lock keeper (a.k.a. locktender). His annual compensation was $50 () with the additional benefits of the use of the lock house and the right to use the canal company's land, which was typically used for farming. By June1832, a 22-mile (35 km) section of the canal was operating between Georgetown and Seneca, which included Lock21.